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Some Possible Complications With The Voting Process In America; The Weather`s Impact On Turnout; The Sounds Of Space. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired November 03, 2020 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CARL AZUZ, CNN 10 ANCHOR: Welcome to viewers around the world to this Election Day edition of CNN 10. My name is Carl Azuz.
It feels a little different to be covering an election outside the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, but we are still covering it, just like the two
main candidates have covered some serious ground over the past few days, crisscrossing the country on the hunt for votes.
Yesterday alone, incumbent Republican president Donald Trump visited Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, while Democratic
presidential nominee Joe Biden traveled to Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Both of these candidates voted early. The president in Florida on October 24th. The former vice president in Delaware on October 28th.
Of course, their race is hardly the only one. Thirty-five of 100 U.S. Senate seats are up for reelection this year. All 435 voting seats in the
House of Representatives are up for election.
Eleven states are holding gubernatorial elections. The make-up of statehouses and senates are being decided. People are voting on ballot
measures which are laws or issues that citizens decide themselves.
All of this is happening today, for those who didn`t already participate in early voting.
And when it comes to the presidential race, the number we`re looking for is 270. That`s how many electoral votes the candidate needs to win the
presidency. Each state gets a different number of these based on its population.
And while predicting how this puzzle will fit together to make 270 is not an exact science, political analysts and you can tinker with the
possibilities on CNN`s interactive electoral map. We posted a link to this at CNN10.com.
By turning states red for the Republican incumbent or blue for the Democratic challenger, you can see all the paths the election could take in
determining who gets the minimum number of electoral votes.
As we`ve stated before, though, we may not have the answer tonight like we usually do. Some states will still be counting mail-in ballots. In fact, 23
states accept mail-in ballots after Election Day as long as they`re sent in the mail by November 3rd. So, in a close race, if the results from the
states are known for days, the results of the election may not be either.
And there are other complications with the election process that may also delay results.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VAN JONES, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: Now, as the results come in on election night, everybody is waiting for news of the call.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now appears President Reagan has won.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He has called Reagan and congratulated him.
JONES: That`s when the losing presidential candidate calls the winner to concede the election.
WALTER MONDALE (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: A few minutes ago, I called --
MICHAEL DUKAKIS (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: President Bush --
BOB DOLE (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: President Clinton --
JOHN KERRY (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: President Bush --
JOHN MCCAIN (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Senator Barack Obama --
MITT ROMNEY (R), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: President Obama --
HILLARY CLINTON (D), FORMER PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Congratulated Donald Trump --
GEORGE H.W. BUSH (R), FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: To ensure the smooth transition of power --
JONES: Now, of course, that`s not always how it goes down.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The vice president has recalled the governor and retracted his concession.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He`s not ready to give this up just yet.
JONES: Election night is just a start of what can actually be a very lengthy process to official pick the president.
Now, let`s back up for a second. When you vote for president, you`re not doing it directly. That`s why a candidate can win the popular vote but not
the presidency. What you`re actually doing, you`re voting for electors. Those are people who are appointed in each state to then choose the
president and the vice president. Federal law says all election disputes at the state level needs to be wrapped by December 8th, so the electors can
cast their ballots on December 14th.
Now, each governor has got to certify the electors` votes and then send them on to Congress. So, the results aren`t official until the new congress
counts those ballots on January 6th.
Now, it`s usually a straightforward process. But let`s say one of the candidates questions the legitimacy of the state`s count, the governor
could choose not to certify the electors` votes, or, though this is really unlikely, the state legislature could decide to contest the election and
send a different count to Congress. Meaning, Congress could end up with no results or with competing results from the same state.
Now, that`s a violation of federal law. So, Congress would no longer have to honor that state`s electors at all.
Now, the House and the Senate can then decide which result is valid or throw out the votes from that state altogether. Now, I know you think I`m
crazy, but this actually happened.
It was 1876, shortly after the civil war, Samuel Tilden won the popular vote, but there were 19 electoral votes in dispute. Congress had to step in
and brokered a compromise. Rutherford Hayes was eventually named president in exchange for the end of Reconstruction and a withdrawal of federal
troops from the South.
Here`s where things get even more interesting. If a candidate still doesn`t have a majority of electoral votes by the end of this process, the Twelve
Amendment says the House of Representatives decides who will be president and each state delegation gets one vote. The Senate picks the vice
president.
No matter what happens, somebody had got to take the oath of office on January 20.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So help me God.
JOE BIDEN, THEN-VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: So help me God.
JONES: If both the president and the vice president are still undecided, the speaker of the House temporarily gets that job.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: We`ve reported on how concerns about coronavirus have already impacted this election. It`s thought to be a major factor in why more than
95 million votes are already estimated to have been cast before today. The Pew Research Center says other issues on the minds of American voters
include the state of the economy, healthcare and violent crime.
The way people feel about a particular candidate the moment they enter the voting booth can also factor in, and according to CNN 10 contributor Tyler
Mauldin, so can the weather.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TYLER MAULDIN, CNN 10 CONTRIBUTOR: It`s Election Day in America, Carl. Voters are deciding who will be president of the United States for the next
four years. As exciting as they maybe, studies show weather can keep voters from heading to the polls.
It`s been long suspected that weather can have a significant impact on Election Day turnout. Researchers in recent years have put data behind
those claims. The results show rain and snow will indeed deter voters from showing up on election day, especially undecided voters that have yet to
determine which candidate to choose.
When into snow, they say, can lower turnout by half a percent. And when into rain can negatively impact turnout by one whole percent.
For those voting today, if that`s you, a friend or a family member, no worries, today`s forecast is about as tranquil as it comes. Ninety-nine-
point-nine percent of the country will check the box for fantastic Election Day weather.
For the few of you that may see a little precipitation, it`s no more than you would typically see in early November. Those blemishes are in Oregon
and Washington as a front approaches the Pacific Northwest, and a small portion of the Great Lakes and New England, with a weak weather maker
moving over.
High pressure is leading to great weather for the rest of us, with near to slightly above normal temperatures across much of the U.S.
So, yes, Carl, history shows weather can affect Election Day in a variety of ways. But for much of the country, today`s forecast won`t get in the way
of those looking to cast a ballot.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AZUZ (voice-over): Ten-second trivia:
What type of waves have the longest wavelengths in the electromagnetic spectrum?
Radio waves, microwaves, ultraviolet light or X-rays?
With wavelengths measuring between one millimeter and 62 miles, radio waves are the longest.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUBTITLE: This is the sound of the sun`s natural vibrations.
The vibrations could be anything from solar flares to coronal mass ejections.
This is the sound of a Jupiter lightning storm.
The planet is home to "shallow lightning," an electrical discharge from clouds containing an ammonia-water solution.
This is what Saturn sounds like.
Saturn`s sound waves are related to the auroras near the planet`s poles.
Those auroras contain similarities to Earth`s northern and southern lights.
The sounds were captured by spacecraft with tools that record radio emissions.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
AZUZ: So, here`s an engineering challenge: you want to move a building 200 feet away. It`s five stories tall and weighs 15 million pounds.
Do you think the idea has legs? The building did.
Engineers in Shanghai, China, attached almost 200 mobile supports under this building. They acted like robot legs controlled by sensors and they
worked together to walk the 85-year-old school house almost a block away. The building`s unusual shape prevented workers from pulling or sliding it.
Once the plan was set in cornerstone, it seemed pretty concrete when they took it step by step, because they couldn`t go brick by brick. It was a
feat for robotic feet, a victory for masonry and they get it without losing a chip off the old block.
I`m Carl Azuz for CNN 10.
Today`s shout-out salutes Freedom. That`s Freedom Prep Academy. It`s a school in Provo, Utah, where folks there are subscribing a leaving a
comment on your YouTube channel.
We`ll see you all tomorrow.
END
